Tales of the Chemist
by kage925
Summary: After nearly dying Naruto is given a gift and it will take all he's got to master it
1. chapter 1

**I love Naruto and I love science so I decided to make some sort of Chimera abomination of the tw****o and see what happens!**

_**Keep in mind that not all the science will be completely accurate**__** or in depth.**_

**Many of you may not like the beginning but it gets better.**

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In a dark and desolate alleyway littered with garbage sat a small blonde haired child who stared up in fear at the sight before him. This child was Naruto Uzumaki and today was the worst day of the year, his birthday. Naruto was the village pariyah, as far as he could remember everyone always mistreated and hated him, but when his birthday came around it would get so much worse. The villagers who, previously, would simply glare at him, call him names or ignore his existence, would take up arms and form an angry mob that would hunt him down and beat him untill he was broken in body and spirit.

The reason for this increase in violence is because unbenounced to Naruto, he was the jinchuuriki of the nine tailed demon fox who attacked the village killing hundreds, destroying homes, and orphaning children, Naruto's birthday is the anniversary of the day that so many lives were ruined. That's why every year a mob forms to beat down the constant reminder of their pain from that day.

It was this such mob that stood before him now, holding kitchen knives, broken bottles, or anything else that could be used as a weapon. The mob stood above this poor child with sadistic smiles fully enjoying the look of fear plastered upon his small face. Naruto was trapped in the ally, as it was a dead end and the only exit was blocked by the mob. As one, they stepped foward and began to stomp on his small and frail body with enough force to break some bones.

He had learned long ago not to fight back, beg for mercy, or cry out in pain as it only made the mobs angrier and the beatings more brutal. So he simply lied there, enduring the pain and begging kami to escort him into blissful unconsiousness. Naruto closed his eyes wincing from the feeling and sound of one of his ribs being broken, but he did not scream or cry because he had to be strong enough to live throught this night.

"kill the demon!" "make it suffer for what it did!" Many shouts could be heard throughout the mob, most of them calling for his death, someone seemingly decided that it was time to give them what they wanted. A man stepped foward from the crowd and everyone ceased stomping for a moment. Naruto looked at the man as he felt the pain fade, if only a little, then he caught a glimpse of what the man was holding. It was a knife with a six inch long blade and a razor sharp edge, his eyes widened in fear. "you...you killed everyone I ever loved... I will have revenge!" the man screamed.

Suddenly pain errupted from Naruto's right side. The man had slammed his blade into his shoulder and began turning it slightly. Naruto cried out in pain and upon hearing this the croud began to cheer and stepped towards Naruto with their weapons raised. Naruto screamed when both his hands were pinned down by knives that went through his palms and into the ground. He continued to howl in pain as they made shallow stab wounds all across his body. They would not kill him yet, no, they wanted "it" to suffer.

For what felt like an eternity they continued to make shallow wounds so that he felt some semblance of the pain they felt. Finally deciding that it was time to kill the demon, three villagers stabbed him in the stomach each blade going deeper than the last. Naruto's eyes went big as saucers and his mouth opened but there was no sound. He couldn't scream through the pain as it was simply too great. leaving the blades imbeded into Naruto's flesh the mob turned and left the alley content with having killed the demon.

Naruto's eyes glazed over, his concience began to fade, and his vision became blurry.

'I guess this is how I'll die. There was so much I wanted to do... I guess all I can hope for now is that jiji and the ichirakus don't miss me too much.'

As Naruto finished that train of thought he saw a glowing white figure decend from the night sky. Naruto stared for a moment before he thought 'HOLY SHIT A GHOST! FUCK THIS!' there where few things Naruto feared, but to him a ghost was the stuff of nightmares.

He tried to get up and run for the hills but all he could do was stare blankly as the astral figure stood above his broken and near lifeless body.

The figure spoke in a soft voice. "We've been watching you Naruto Uzumaki. Kami has seen that you have the purest of souls and the kindest of hearts."

Upon closer inspection it was clear that this figure was a female that seemed to be around his age. She had a fair face, white hair, tanned skin and orange eyes. She spoke once more.

"We've decided that this shall not be your fate. I will heal you and give you powers that will help with whatever trouble you stumble upon in the future." Suddenly all the knives imbedded in Naruto were simultaneously yanked out and dropped to the ground, then the wounds ceased to bleed, and began to close, the bruises faded away, and his broken bones were set back into place.

Once he was healed completely she said

"Now that I've healed you, it's time for your power..."

Naruto, feeling rejuvenated, stared dumbfounded at her "who are you?" Naruto asked. This was one of the many questions whirling through his mind. "All will be revealed soon, but not now" the girl responded.

She lifted Naruto's shirt and placed a hand on his stomach. A warm feeling rushed through Naruto's system and he blushed slightly at having a girl touch him. Immediately after the warm feeling resided a seal appeared and began to glow red.

Naruto felt an untold amount of power flow throughout his body. When the power surge finally ceased, his head fell back onto the ground and he let the jaws of uncosciousness grab hold of him.

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Naruto awoke in a strange and unfamiliar area. It appeared to be a sewer that was dimly lit and had water that was up to his shins. There were a multitude of small blue pipes running along the ceiling and one larger red pipe that was leaking a peculiar crimson liquid.

There was a loud and deep rumbling sound coming from further down the sewer and deciding to find out what it was Naruto began to follow it. After a minute of walking Naruto came to a stop as he entered a huge room whose ceiling seemed to stretch out into nothingness. Looking forword he could see an equally huge cage with giant bars.

'Why in the world would someone need a cage this big? What would you even put in it?' Naruto wondered

**"why**** don't you come**** here and find out**" a thunderous voice rang throughout the darkness. 'wait didn't I think that?' Naruto thought. "**indeed**" the voice responded.

Now Naruto was freaking out, but something still compelled him to search for whatever was in the cage, so letting his curiosity get the better of his reason he walked towards the cage untill he was only a few feet away from it. It was then that two huge red eyes with vertical slits for pupils shot open and a wide malicious smile filled with razor sharp teeth appeared.

Suddenly a clawed paw shot out between the bars with the intention of piercing through his stomach. Naruto jumped back and fell on his butt causing the fox to start cackling evily, he stared in fear as the red eyes and fanged grin began to rise up untill he could see all of the monster before him.

In front of him stood a giant fox with nine tails that waved rhythmically through the air. The fox grinned manically down at him with eyes full of hatred. He then noticed that atop of the fox was a familliar girl, who he remembered had come down from the sky.

"Didn't I tell you not to scare him! I also explicitly told you not to speak! listen to me when I talk to you!" the girl screamed while hitting the fox on the head. "**yes m'lady**" the fox said looking to the floor dejectedly. If not for how strange the situation was Naruto would've laughed at the comical sight before him. Here was the mighty kyuubi being abused by a child.

The girl looked up from hitting the fox and in Naruto's direction "I'm sorry about him he's just a big dummy, my name's Chōshinsei but you can just call me Chō" she said smiling at him.

Naruto rose up to his feet and gazed astonishingly at her as she stood atop the mountain sized fox. "Your the one who saved my life right?"

"I am"

"Where are we? Can you explain whats going on? What happened to me?" Naruto questioned.

Chō jumped down from the fox's head and landed in front of Naruto. She met Naruto's gaze and spoke "you might wanna get comfortable cause this is gonna take a while" Chō plopped down into the water and motioned for Naruto to do the same.

Naruto looked to the fox who simply layed its head down to rest. Feeling more secure, he sat with his legs crossed and stared at her expectedly.

"Ok, let me start from the beginning, I am an angel and I was sent to help you surrvive this cruel world." she stated

Naruto was confused now, why would he deserve the assistance of an angel? He voiced his confusion, simply asking "why?"

"Kami has been watching you, she knew the moment you were born that you would grow up to be a kind and pure hearted soul, so she kept a close eye on you. But when those despicable vilagers tried to kill you she decided to intervine by sending me down to save you, grant you power, and ultimatley help you master said powers."

Naruto seemed to ponder what she said before a smile began to grow on his face. "So what powers did you give me?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"I've given you a kekkei genkai and I will help you to control and master it"

"A kekkei what now?"

Chō giggled and then spoke "Kekkei genkai, it is an ability that someone obtains from genes passed down from their ancestors, but in your case I altered your DNA to cause a mutation and create a kekkei genkai"

"So is this a completely new kekkei genkai?" Naruto asked.

"Not exactly, I've given you a power that has been lost to the ages long ago. This kekkei genkai only appeared in members of of the Kagaku clan."

"What's the Kagaku clan?" Naruto placed his head in his hand and leaned in to listen closer.

Chō stared off into the distance for a moment before her eyes lowered as she said "It's an old clan dating back centuries, but they're... not around anymore"

Naruto was confused because she seemed upset, so he decided to change the subject. "So what can I do?" Naruto asked.

She looked up. "Well, you have the power to create and manipulate the four fundamental elements of the universe with your chakra. These elements being Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon, And Oxygen."

"What? that's lame" Naruto said with a frown "I thought I would at least be able to blow things up!"

Chō facepalmed. "You're not too bright, are you?"

Before Naruto could retort Chō stood up suddenly and began to walk some distance away from Naruto.

Confused, Naruto looked to her and asked "What are you doing?"

At this Chō smiled, but it wasn't one of the small charming smiles he had seen from her before, no, this was different. It was more... wicked.

"I'm going to show you the power of this kekkai genkai!" as she said this, a cluster of... something began to form in her hand, and as it took shape it began to grow untill it settled at about the size of Naruto's head.

Chō looked to Naruto and spoke "These are hydrogen molecules, You want to blow things up? Then this is how you do it."

Her smile grew wider as she slammed her hand down on top of the other compressing all the hydrogen together.

Soon Chō was enveloped in flames as the hydrogen molecules combusted into a fireball rivalling that of the famous Gōkakyū no Jutsu. Naruto marveled at the strength of the technique.

When the smoke cleared he saw Chō standing there grinning so he grinned back.

"That was so cool! I've never seen a jutsu that strong before." Naruto exclaimed

Chō began to chuckle as she said "trust me, that was like a firecracker compared to the other stuff you can do."

Naruto's eyes widened with surprise and he asked "How will I learn to use these abilities?"

Chō smiled and said "I'll be there to teach you every step of the way."

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**P****lease leave a review and tell me what you think (besides the fact your salty over how I used the cliché mob beating to give Naruto his powers)**

**Trust me it'll get even better**

**C****hap 2 here we come!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back! Dont forget to leave a review.**

**Now shut up and start reading!**

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Naruto awoke with a start, he sat up and looked around only to realize that he was in his own bed.

He held his head in his hands as he thought about everything that had just happened... or what he thought had happened.

"Was all that just a dream? it felt so real." he muttered.

"That's because it was dumb dumb. You didn't forget everything we talked about did you?" Naruto heard a voice say.

His head snapped up towards his bedroom door and standing in the doorway was the same girl he remembered from last night.

"So its true, I really do have a kekkei genkai." He stared at his hands as if he could see this new found power flowing within him.

"Yup!" Chō exclaimed. "and your first day of training starts today!"

Naruto glanced at her and grinned, he had only known her for a short period of time but she was beginning to grow on him.

Naruto hopped out of bed to stand in front of her.

"So whats number one on today's to-do list?" Naruto asked.

"That would be for you to get some new clothes and take a shower. You really stink!" she said while pinching her nose and waving away the smell.

Naruto blushed. He hadnt noticed it before but she was right, he smelled really bad and his clothes were ripped and bloody. He dashed into the bathroom to clean up and put on some new clothes.

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A shower, a new pair of clothes, and 12 cups of instant ramen later, we find Naruto and Chō approaching an empty training ground.

"Here we are. So what now?" Naruto questioned.

"First I'm going to tell you some things that you absolutely need to know." Chō stated.

Naruto looked to her and listened attentively. "So, you remember the thing I showed you with hydrogen molecules?" At this Naruto nodded.

"What I didn't mention was that while you can control the molecule itself you cannot control the explosion. So what this means is that you can cause yourself serious harm or even death if you're not careful."

Naruto looked mildly surprised and asked "Ok... so how do I _**not**_ do that?"

Chō smirked, but said nothing as she simply held up her fist. Naruto looked to see that there was something small on her hand reflecting the sunlight. He squinted to get a closer look and saw that it began to expand and spread across her fist.

Soon the entirety of her hand was covered by this crystalline material.

"Whoah what is that?" Naruto asked.

"This is diamond, the hardest substance known to man. It can be made with carbon, this is what will protect you from your more destructive abilities."

"How do I make it?"

"Sit down with me." Chō said as she took a seat on the ground. Naruto took a seat to her left.

"You know how to access your chakra right?" Naruto nodded, he had broken into the library once and learned as much as he could on chakra and jutsu.

Chō created a carbon molecule and placed it in his hand. "Can you feel what I just put in your hand?"

Naruto nodded. "It's super small but I can feel every tiny detail."

"Good, now I want you to mold your chakra into that shape and make as many copies of that as you can while simultaneously squishing them down into the shape of your hand after they've formed."

"This sounds way too complicated" Naruto complained.

"Just shut up and do it."

Naruto frowned, skrewed his eyes shut and focussed as hard as he could.

He focussed on the feel and shape of the molecule so that he could create new copies all the while bonding them together to fit like a glove around his fist.

He could feel each carbon atom link together until it was solid and he opened his eyes to see his work.

Glancing at his fist he could see a that it was covered in a hard black substance. It didn't look anything like what he had seen Chō create and he voiced these concerns.

"What'd I do wrong?" he asked

"You didn't add enough pressure, do it agan." she said as she slapped his hand to crumble the surrounding material.

Naruto frowned as he closed his eyes to concentrate and repeated the same process. This time he increased the pressure of his chakra and watched as small crystals began to form.

Suddenly there was a crack in the material and it began to rapidly spread and eventually his new carbon glove errupted into shrapnel sending chunks flying in all directions.

He looked to Chō wide eyed and dumbfounded. She laughed at his expression and simply said " You need to make sure the pressure is even all around"

"Don't you think you shoulda told me that beforehand!" Naruto responded.

Chō giggled and stated "The only way to learn is to do."

Naruto huffed and closed his eyes to focus once more. He began to create more carbon and slowly increased the pressure while ensuring that it was evenly spread. When all was said and done he opened his eyes to see his diamond encrusted fist.

Chō grinned, she was starting to like this kid, he learned rather quickly.

"YATA! I did it!" He turned and held out his fist for her to see. He had done a rather good job, all the crystals formed the way they were supposed to and they were as hard as they should be.

Looking at him she could see his world famous foxy grin threatening to split his face in half.

Chō couldn't help but smile back, his grin had a warmth that was almost contagious.

She blinked. She felt strange. She couldn't understand what it was though, this feeling was new.

She shook her head. Glancing down at Naruto's crystalized fist, suddenly her kind smile morphed into a much more devious one. She was about to get to the best part of the training session.

She said "Hey Naruto, I want you to follow my lead"

"Ok, what're we doing" he said while standing up.

"We are gonna make full body armor. You got the basics down so you should be fine. Just do what I do."

She created a diamond glove the same way she had showed him before but this time it didn't stop at the wrist.

The diamond slowly crept up her arm to her shoulder, then it spread across her chest and so on untill everything but her neck and head was consealed behind this impenetrable armor.

"Wow" Naruto said in awe

"Give it a try" She said smiling.

Naruto's hand was still covered so he continued where he left off. The spread was slow at first, he was still getting the hang of it. Once it reached up to his shoulder it picked up speed, but it still took a few minutes and a lot of concentration before he was fully covered.

Chō smiled wide as she took a step back, held up her hand and said "up top!"

Naruto grinned and tried to move closer to her but he couldn't. The armor wouldn't budge! The very same armor he'd just created became his makeshift prison.

Seeing the look on Naruto's face made Chō burst out laughing. Naruto saw that she moved to hold her sides even though her armor was still intact.

He realized that she was playing with him by not telling him how to move with the armor on.

Naruto scowled, "yeah yeah laugh it up... now how am I supposed to get out of this?"

Chō, with maximum effort, slowed her laughter enough to speak. "Oh, I am sure you will figure that out" After giggling for a bit longer she turned and began to walk away.

"Hey wait! You can't just leave me here!"

She smiled and said "Watch me" and with that she just left.

Naruto began to struggle against the armor but he made no progress. So he decided to look at it simply, he had put all of the diamonds together, so he should be able to take them apart... right?

Naruto focused on trying to wedge his chakra in-between the bonds of the carbon atoms. He finally managed to isolate a part of the armor and cut all the bonds holding it to the main body.

Then he heard it hit the ground. "Ha I did it!"

He turned his head to look at the chunk he knocked off. He frowned when he saw that it was only slightly bigger than a quarter. He was going to be here for a while.

Naruto grumbled as he got back to work "Stupid angel girls and their stupid angel girl pranks... I'm gonna get her back just you wait"

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The sun had set in the west and rose again in the east, it was a new day. Chō had spent all of yesterday watching the sunset and star gazing.

Her time in heaven was nice and all but she'd forgotten the natural beauty of the Earth. It was just so... peaceful.

Her thoughts drifted to her blonde protégé. She remembered how she left him entombed in his own armor. Chō pictured a chibi Naruto trying to break out but falling over and cursing.

She giggled, it semmed that she was quite fond of him already. "I guess I should go check on how he's doing."

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While entering the training grounds Chō looked over to where she had left Naruto trapped last night. He had fallen over backwards and was sleeping.

Chō giggled and examined what was left of his armor. He had freed his right arm from the sholder down entirely. His knuckles were bloody, no doubt from trying to punch the armor apart.

He had also managed to break apart the diamond covering his knees. He was probably trying walk, but because of the unbalanced weight he fell over.

Chō, deciding to wake him up, grabbed one of the many diamond shards laying about and threw it at Naruto's forehead.

His face scrunched up and his eyes opened slowly. He looked around before settling his sights on Chō. Naruto stared for a moment taking in her features as his eyes were adjusting to the light.

He could see her grinning down at him and she jokingly asked, "Having a little trouble down there?"

Naruto furrowed his brow and frowned. "Yeah I am, all thanks to you." he responded.

"Aw c'mon don't be that way it was just a joke, here I'll even help you out."

Chō bent down and with a few taps shattered the remaining armor around Naruto.

She continued speaking while Naruto got up from the ground. "Plus it's not like I did it for no reason. It was to help you learn in the same way the kagaku clan taught it's shinobi"

"Well the Kagaku clan mustn't have been very smart then" Naruto was stretching with his eyes closed so he didn't see the frown that was plastered on Chō's face.

"What kind of baka decides the best way to train a ninja is to trap him in his own armor and then not even teach them how to get out of it?"

Chō's knuckles were white as she clenched her hands into fists.

Naruto looked as if he had an epiphany and began to laugh "Thats probably why they're not around anymore! Cause all their ninja could do in a fight is cover up and then fall over!" he said.

That was it, Chō lost her temper and let her fist fly. She threw a right hook that landed square on Naruto's jaw.

Next thing he knew he was staring up at the clouds. Naruto looked up, confused. When his eyes met with hers he froze. There was a fire in her eyes, a fire fueled by her fury.

Before he could say anything she vanished in a swirl of leaves. 'What the hell was that?' Naruto thought.

'She was so mad, but why? Oh man it must be because of something I said. Stupid Naruto! Stupid!'

Naruto sighed, he had a habit of saying the wrong things but he couldn't help it.

"I should go find her and apologize. I hope she forgives me, I thought we were becoming good friends."

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**Review and let me know what you think so far**.


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review**

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Naruto skidded to a stop at the edge of a roof and caught his breath. He looked out over the crowd of citizens and analyzed each figure closely.

Naurto sighed and shook his head. "Nothing" he muttered

He must have been looking for Chō for a few hours now. He had searched most of Konoha but still came up empty handed.

The leaf village is a big place but Chō seemed to have just vanished. Naruto plopped down on the roof and stared up into the sky.

There weren't many places left to search and he was getting tired. Naruto watched as a cloud drifted by slowly. He followed its movements with his eyes and wondered alloud "Where could she be?".

The cloud drifted further and further until eventually passing over the hokage monument.

Naruto stared at the cliffside. He could remember everytime he made the trek up that cliff, just so he could cry without letting the villagers see him, and he could remember everytime he cried himself to sleep atop the fourths visage.

"I might as well check up there, it has the best view of the village after all." Naruto said.

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It seemed like another hour had passed, but Naruto had finally made it up to the top.

He began to move toward the cliff which overlooked the village. Then he froze for a moment.

He could see her. He could see that she was sat down, looking out across the expanse of the village. He could see that she had her knees pulled up to her chest.

There was a pang of sadness that rushed through his heart. He was convinced the only reason she was up here all alone was because of what he said.

'I wonder if she's still mad?' He wondered anxiously

Naruto took a fearful step forward. He was afraid of what was to come. 'What if she didn't want to be around him anymore?'

He took another step. 'What if she hated him?'

Another. 'What if she looked at him with those eyes... those eyes of disgust?'

Millions of questions flew about his mind as he walked shakily up to her.

He had never been so anxious before. Perhaps it was because he never truly had anyone to care or worry about... before now.

Naruto's heart was racing as he took the final step to stand next to her. After a deep breath he gathered the nerve to speak.

"Hey... Chō?" He said, his voice quivering ever so slightly.

She did not respond but her head dipped down as acknowledgement of his presence.

"Chō?" he asked again. She did not react.

"Look I...I just... I-I'm really sorry, about what I said. I didn't mean any of it and I definitely didn't want to hurt you."

She still just sat there, with her head down and her hair shadowing her eyes.

Naruto sniffled and his eyes teared up slightly. He sat down roughly and said.

"I guess I really am just the worthless idiot they say I am."

At this Chō slowly raised her head to look at Naruto.

"You're not an idiot Naruto" She said sniffling.

Naruto's face brightened up, she was talking to him!

"So you're not mad at me anymore?" Naruto asked

"Of course I'm still mad at you!" She yelled.

Naruto looked closer at her face, her eyes were red and puffy. He knew all too well what that meant.

His face softened and he said "I really am sorry, I never meant to make you cry."

"You're not whats making me cry you jerk."

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned.

"What you said made all my memories come back, everything I had blocked out." Chō said.

"What'd you remember?" Naruto inquired.

Chō pulled her legs closer to her chest and lowered her head. Her eyes began to sting slightly but she spoke anyway.

"I was only eleven when it started. The Kagaku clan was ruled by a single clan head... I was his daughter. My father did everything for his people and was benevolent. But his brother was jealous, and he lusted for power. That envy lead him down a dark path and he was consumed by greed... eventually he amassed an army of his own, somehow he was able to gather my fathers enemies and start a revolution."

"Those in the clan who were loyal to my father fought by his side and a civil war began. I could only watch as my family members tore each other apart. Eventually there was a final battle that shook our village to the core. Each side fought ferociously and when the dust settled my uncle and his army were defeated. But my father died in the chaos."

Now tears came pouring down like torrential rain. Naruto could only watch as she wailed and mourned the loss of her loved ones.

Seeing her in such despair finally became too much for his heart and he reached out to embrace her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She paused her sobbing for a split second, shocked at Naruto's kindness.

The tears came back ten fold and she embraced him back as she cried into his shoulder.

Naruto rubbed her back to comfort her and after a moment he asked "what happened next?"

"My mother took the mantle of clan head but the hidden cloud heard about our war and knew we would be weak" She said through her tears.

"When they invaded they were ruthless. They slaughtered the people in the streets! And when they finally came for my mother..._** I was Useless!**_" They burned the village to the ground! ...How could they be so cruel?"

"People laid down their lives for me and in the end... I died anyway." She couldn't explain it but there was sinking feeling in her, one she'd never felt before.

Her voiced cracked as she spoke. Her entire body was now wracked with grief and she couldn't help but tremble.

Naruto tried to think of something to say but couldn't, so there they sat in the comfort of each others arms.

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Naruto was still there holding Chō in his arms. She had been so overwhelmed by emotion that she cried herself to sleep.

The sky was dark except for the stars that gleamed in the night and Naruto was exhausted.

He looked down to Chō and decided that she could take his bed at home. He would sleep on the floor or the couch.

With that thought he picked Chō up bridal style and began to carry her towards home.

Along the way he began to wonder about her origins.

She was so young and yet she experienced so much hardship. He supposed they were similar in that way.

He began to wonder about the specifics of her death.

He also wondered about the true strength of the Kagaku clan, among other things.

He was so lost in his thoughts in fact, that he hadn't realized he was home until he opened the bedroom door.

Naruto layed her down on the bed and tucked her in. He began to walk out of the bedroom towards the couch but Chō grasped his hand in her sleep.

Naruto smiled softly and thought 'Maybe I'll sleep on the floor. Just for tonight'

He layed down next to the bed and drifted away into the clutches of deep sleep.

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Ash fell to the ground like snow. Her village was ignited and her people slaughtered. She was the last of them still alive and her body was running on fumes. She was still alive because others had died for her... they had died in her place.

Now there was no one left but her. She watched from afar as her village burned and as her people laid lifeless.

It seemed that she was not alone. The vultures were circling.

Shadowy figures dropped down from the trees above, four of them.

They were shinobi sent to hunt down any survivors. She looked to their headbands and saw the symbol of the hidden cloud... and then the gleam of a sword.

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Chō awoke suddenly and shot up in bed.

She had cold sweats and was shaking. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was ragged.

"A nightmare?"

She looked around fearfully and finally took in her surroundings. She was in Naruto's bed, but where was he? She heard snoring and looked down to see him sleeping peacefully on the floor.

Seeing his face helped her calm down and after a minute she shut her eyes to let sleep take hold once more.

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_Boom!_

The explosions rocked their village as the people scrambled to gather their loved ones and get them to safety.

The small girl swung her head in every direction and all she could see was chaos.

Fire, blood, screams, and the clash of metal on hard crystal.

She was being pulled along by her wrist. The face of her guide was calm and still as stone, but she could feel how tightly they held her, she could feel every terrified tremble.

The children were being brought to saftey along with those who could not fight. As she was getting dragged along she could hear the sounds of battle inching ever closer.

Before anyone knew it, death's vultures were upon them, carrying swords and claiming the clouds as their home.

They surrounded the group and slaughtered all who were too weak to defend themselves.

In the midst of this carnage those who could defend themselves banded together. She could see that her guide met up with three others and they began to discuss something. The guide pointed in her direction but she couldn't hear what they had said, as a matter of fact she couldn't hear anything, just a low, hollow, ringing.

Her guide then grabbed ahold once more and they, along with the other three, ran off towards the outskirts of the village, but they were being tracked.

One by one the other three were cut down, two of them taking blows aimed at her. All that stood now was her guide... and the vultures were hot on their tail.

They caught up soon enough. Just as quickly as their pursuers had arrived, they were blocked out as a shield of crystal went up around them and her guide began talking to her.

The ringing in her ears stopped and gradually the words began to sink in.

"-- and there's no time left so you need to run, you understand?"

The girl only stared blankly.

"Do you understand?!"

She nodded her head.

"Good, When I open the shield up you run... I love you my little one."

After that was said the shield instantly burst out into a million shards of crystal and the small child ran off as fast as her legs could take her.

Any who moved to pursue her were dealt with quickly and once she got to the tree line she looked back to see her guide fighting ferociously.

She continued running untill her legs were painfully stiff and her lungs burned. She made it atop a steep hill and could go no further. Looking back she could see the village burning, and despite how far the girl had run, the vultures still approached.

Her guide was dead.

As she looked upon the burning village tears fell down her cheeks and she thought

'I love you too Kaa-san'

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**Take a minute, review and let me know what you think, it helps.**

**(I read them all)**


	4. Chapter 4

**leave a review and tell me how you feel about this story.**

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The clatter of plates and pans could be heard resounding throughout the small apartment.

Naruto was standing at the stove trying to cook eggs. He was so used to only eating instant ramen that he had forgotten how much he actually enjoyed cooking.

'Cooking's fun and all but nothing beats ramen and on top of tha-' Naruto was brought out of his thoughts by a scream coming from the bedroom.

"NOOOO!!"

'That sounds like Chō-chan!'

Naruto dropped what he was holding and ran to the bedroom. Naruto quickly threw the door open and stepped inside.

He could see her sitting up in bed with her hand over her heart. When she heard the sound of the door hit the wall her head snapped up.

She could only see a figure standing in the doorway. A look of dread spread across her face as the figure began to walk closer.

Naruto approched her slowly and asked "are you okay?"

Chō began to crawl away until her back hit the wall, she felt trapped. There was no where to run, she could only attack.

"Stay away!" Chō screamed as she threw a kunai she had formed of diamond.

The kunai sliced into Naruto's cheek and the stuck itself halfway in the wall. Naruto winced and brought a hand up to the cut.

"What the hells the matter with you?!" He exclaimed.

'Wait' Chō thought 'I know that voice' Her vision became more clear as her eyes adjusted her surroundings. She could see much better, now she could see golden hair and blue eyes.

"Naruto?" She asked.

"Who else would it be!? I live here!"

She jumped out of the bed and ran up to Naruto."Oh kami I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"

Naruto let go of his anger and waved it off. "It's fine, just forget it." He said as he began to walk away.

"You're not going to clean it or bandage it?" Chō asked.

"No, I never had to before so why start now. I've always healed super fast anyway."

"Are you sure? I can do it for you." Chō said.

"It's fine Chō... So do you want breakfast or what?" Naruto asked.

Chō looked up and stifled a laugh.

"So I cut you and in response you treat me to breakfast?"

Naruto blinked and said "...yes"

"I hope you don't treat you're enemies like that."

Naruto laughed. "Everyone needs breakfast once in a while."

Chō rolled her eyes and took a seat at the table. Naruto quickly placed the plates of food down and sat across from her.

She looked down at her plate of food and just stared at it. She couldn't remember the last time she actually tasted something.

Naruto could see her just staring at her plate and asked "You okay?"

Chō snapped out of her thoughts and said "Yeah I'm fine" and she began to eat.

After going so long without knowing the taste of food this was the best breakfast she's ever had.

After a moment of eating Naruto broke the silence "So... do you wanna talk about last night?"

Chō sighed and said "What is there to talk about."

"You cried yourself to sleep... I think there's a lot to talk about, and there's also this cut you just gave me." He responded.

She looked at his cheek guiltily and said "I'm sorry about that... but I'm fine Naruto, really"

"Chō-chan people don't cry like that when they're fine."

She didn't miss the -chan he added to her name, but still she remained silent.

Deciding it was best to drop it Naruto asked "so what are we doing today then?"

"You'll see when we get to the training grounds"

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Once again our beloved characters find themselves at the training grounds.

"Ok. Now that I've taught you how to protect yourself I need to make sure you can use it effectively."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"I mean, what good is knowing how to make armor if you're too slow to create it before the attack lands?"

Chō took out a kunai and held up for Naruto to see. She said "I'm going to throw this up in the air and I want you to cover half your body before it hits the ground."

"You ready?" She asked.

Naruto nodded and Chō let the kunai fly. From this point on Naruto was on the clock. He quickly created his starting gem on the back of his hand.

He had realized early on that creating a small crystal first and building off of that makes things go faster and smoother.

He began to spread the Crystal around his fist and up his arm simultaneously as quick as possible but after a few seconds he heard a thud.

He looked to see the kunai halfway in the ground and sighed when he saw what little progress he made. Chō came over to inspect his work and shook her head.

"You only managed to reach your elbow and in your haste you neglected the quality of the diamond itself." Chō quickly glanced around and picked up a sturdy looking stick.

She swung down hard on Naruto's arm and the diamond cracked. With a second swing she all but broke the armor.

"The diamond is supposed to break the stick not the other way around. I thought you'd do better than this." Chō stated

She picked up the kunai and tossed it to Naruto. "Here you need more practice."

Naruto frowned and asked "Where are you going?"

"I need to run some errands." She said as she turned her back to him.

Chō gave him a sideways glance and said "Dont stop practicing till I get back"

Naruto stared at her as she shrunk into the distance. He glanced to the kunai she had tossed to him.

Chō's words rang through his mind.

I_ thought you'd do better than this._

"I'll show her. Dont ever underestimate Naruto Uzumaki!" With that said Naruto once again threw the kunai up to the sky and got to work.

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Chōshinsei was never one for deep thought or contemplation but it seemed at the moment she was enraptured by the mysteries of her mind.

As she left Naruto to train on his own, naturally she begain to think of him while heading to her destination.

She came to realize that he had sparked something when they'd first trained together. It was something she'd never felt before but it wasn't unwelcome.

Her thoughts drifted towards the other emotions this boy elicited. She began to think of last night and the more she thought about it, the less sense it made.

As an angel she had always been able to feel and express emotions but never with such intensity. She thought of how she had been paralyzed by sorrow and how her body shook with grief, she suspected that the ferocity of these emotions could be attributed to her new physical form or simply a result of her being in the mortal plane.

As her mind recalled the events of that night she remembered how Naruto held her in his arms to comfort her. The longer she thought of this the more heat she could feel rising to her cheeks.

_Smack!_

Chō fell back and grasped her nose in pain.

So consumed was she, by the myriad of thoughts that swirled through her mind, that this wall went unseen.

"That's embarrassing" She mumbled.

Looking up she could see that the wall she had run into was actually the wall of her destination, the konoha library.

Picking herself up she waltzed into the building with her mind set on finding a good book on chemistry. She could see an elderly man behind the desk antending to some books that were out of place.

Approching him she asked "Where is the science section here?"

The librarian glanced down to see Chō staring at him inquisitively.

"Science section? Well there hasn't been one of those in a long time. You see, It's a dying practice." The man stated.

"Do you have anything at all?"

The wrinkled man leaned forward and asked "ain't you a little young for books like that?"

"I'm smarter than I look" She said smiling.

He chuckled softly. "Well, I can get you everything we have right here." He stepped up onto a ladder, grabbed a couple books from a shelf and placed them on the desk.

The stack was about four books high but each of them were indeed science books. Some on chemistry and one, interestingly enough, on bio chemistry.

"This is all there is?" Chō asked in confusion. She had heard before that konoha had one of the best collections of knowledge in the elemental nations. This did not reflect that.

"Well I suppose there could be a few more books scattered around the library if you're willing to look for 'em. Once science started to die out we never took the time to gather the books together and organize 'em into a section." The elderly man stated.

"I'll make sure to have a look around. Thank you." Chō grabbed her stack of books and decided to look around for a bit before heading back to show her findings to Naruto.

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The sound of a kunai hitting the ground could be heard as well as a string of curses shortly after.

Naruto once again brought up his free hand to smack the diamond plating, and again he sent a pulse of chakra to shatter the bonds, and again the crystals fell to the ground.

Chō had been gone for so long that the sun was now setting and Naruto still could not do as he was asked. He had managed to exponentially increase the rate at which his diamonds formed by creating two extra starting gems along his body.

This of course increased the required level of focus but he was getting the hang of it.

Naruto took a deep breath and tossed the kunai into the air once more. He closed his eyes to focus. He created his starting gems, one of the back of his fist, another on the right side of his midsection, and the last on his knee.

With these placements the crystals can grow out from each location and meet eachother half way.

He continued to grow the crystals out from each point at an equal pace. He could feel as the three different blotches of diamond grew ever closer to one another, and suddenly they met.

For the first time all three points where connected and the kunai still hadn't hit the ground.

He opened his eyes to the sound of a kunai hitting the ground. He had done it, but there was still one glaring problem... he couldn't move half of his body.

He would ask Chō how to do it but she obviously wasn't around. So he got to thinking.

It would be extremely easy to just create joints where the armor could move and rotate but that would leave openings where he would be vulnerable.

If he could find a way to make the armor move more freely while maintaining it's strength he would be nearly invincible. Perhaps there was a way to make it less like a solid and more like a liquid, that way he could move unimpeded.

_snap snap snap_

"Hello?! anybody home?"

Chō was waving her hand in front of his face to get his attention. Naruto was quickly brought out of his thoughts and smiled brightly at his new friend and teacher.

"You see I told you I could do it!" Naruto said ecstatically.

"I never said you couldn't Naruto-kun" She said giggling.

"Now come out of there I have something to show you!"

Naruto broke off his crystalline armor and asked "Really? What is it? Is it something really cool like a... a super explosion?!"

Chō laughed before shoving the books she had gotten out in front of him and saying "Nope! But it's time to study!"

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**Stay tuned to find out what cool stuff Naruto will learn**

**AND DONT FORGET TO REVIEW**


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy!**

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Naruto looked incredulously at the stack of books chō had just shoved out in front of him.

"What do you mean study?" he asked.

"You know how they say knowledge is power? Well that applies to you quite literally." She said.

"But I don't wanna read!" Naruto whined.

Chō sighed and stood face to face with Naruto. "Listen, the more you learn about this stuff, the more jutsu you can do, and the more jutsu you can do means what?" She asked.

"... That I'll be a better ninja" Naruto responded.

"That's right and the strongest ninja in the village gets to be what?"

Naruto's eyes lit up like lanters, full of hope and determination. He looked Chō in the eyes and said "Hokage".

She smiled wide as she saw his attitude take a complete 180 and she admired his commitment to achieve his dreams.

"Good, now since the daylight is practically gone we'll go back home and take a look at these books." Chō said

They began to walk back to Naruto's apartment in silence. Naruto couldn't help but glance over at her. She was right beside him and yet he was still thinking about her.

His thoughts drifted towards the cut she gave him this morning. It had healed by now but he felt like he could still feel its sting.

He was sure that this feeling wouldn't go away untill they talked about it, so he broke the silence.

"So... my cut healed up." He said slowly.

Chō looked down and said "That's good"

"Are you gonna tell me what actually happened?" Naruto asked.

She stayed silent.

"C'mon, I trust you, don't you trust me?" Naruto said smiling.

She kept her lips sealed and stared at the ground. After a moment Naruto's smile dissipated and morphed into a frown. He let silence consume the night once more and just walked, eyes forward.

Now it was Chō's turn to worry, she looked to the now unaturally silent Naruto. He didn't say a word but she knew that by not answering that last question she hurt him.

She gripped her stack of books tighter and after a few seconds she blurted out "I've been having nightmares."

Naruto looked at her in surprise. "Nightmares? About what?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "About my clan and when they were wiped out."

"So that's why you attacked me." He said in realization.

"yeah, sorry again about that."

"It's fine, like I said it healed up already see?" He said pointing to his unmarked cheek.

"anyway, you can overcome nightmares you just gotta face 'em head on, trust me."

They walked in silence for a few more moments before Chō said.

"Hey Naruto?... I do trust you"

A bright warm smile plastered itself onto Naruto's face and Chō Couldn't help but smile back as they continued on to Naruto's apartment.

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Naruto unlocked the door and swung it open to let his companion inside. Chō walked in and dropped the books down on a table.

"We still got a little while before it gets pitch black outside so I say it's time to crack open these books."

Naruto let out a groan and said "Fine but I'm gonna eat ramen while reading and you can stop me"

Chō gave him an incredulous look and slowy said "okay"

"But you better not spill any on the books!" she said as an afterthought.

Naruto made some ramen and sat down with a book called _C__hem 101. _He flipped to a random page and began to read in a random spot.

_...For instance, take a solid item and zoom in to the molecular level, one can see that the atoms within that object are rigid and barley move which is what provides its structure._

_Now look at a liquid, the molecules within something like water move freely passed each other which is why fluids can fill any container._

_There are exceptions to this however and these take the form of Non-Newtonian fluids. A Non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid that becomes more liquid or more solid when exposed to a force._

Naruto paused, this is just what he needed. If he could somehow figure out how to apply this to his armor he'd have the perfect defense. If he was successful it means that his armor would have no gaps but still move as if he had none on at all.

He continued reading for quite a while and eventually looked out the window to see that it had gotten really dark, he decided that it was about time to get some sleep.

He turned to Chō and said "I think we should call it a day."

"Ok sure, we'll pick back up tomorrow" she responded.

Naruto opened the bedroom door for her and said "You can take the bed again, I don't mind."

"I-I don't know I really don't want to have those nightmares again."

Naruto smiled softly and said "You said you trusted me remember? You'll be fine, I know it."

Chō stared into the room silently. She remembered the feeling of waking up alone in this room and as Naruto began to walk away Chō grabbed his hand in hers and stopped him. Naruto looked at her puzzled.

She looked down and fiddled with his fingers. She blushed as she tried to speak "Um do you- I mean would you-" She stuttered.

Naruto cut her off and asked plainly "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

Chō's blush intensified tenfold and she exclaimed "Don't say it like that!"

Naruto's cocked an eyebrow and said "Well do you?"

Chō nodded slightly and Naruto turned off the lights and climbed into the bed. He then held the blankets up for Chō to climb in as well.

She did so and they laid together facing one another, their faces mere inches from each other. Chō blushed some more and turned away so the Naruto wouldn't see he red face.

Naruto's voice cut throught the silent night "Good night Chō-chan."

"Good night Naruto-kun."

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She laid in bed awake staring at the ceiling.

There was a sense of dread that she just couldn't shake. She was sure that it told of something yet to come, but try as she might, she could not figure out what.

There was a commotion coming from her mothers bedroom, like people yelling. She could only make out a few words.

"Who are you?!" a female voice screamed.

Curious, she got out of bed and silently crept up to her mothers bedroom door.

Suddenly something burst through the wooden door and crumpled to the ground.

It was a dead man, wearing a cloud village symbol, she could see the cause of death, a diamond protruding from his heart.

The child gasped in surprise, why could these shinobi be in her village? She looked up to see her mother coming through the doorway.

"Kaa-san! Whats going on?"

"Do not fret child. We must go now and get you to saftey."

The woman gripped her childs hand and began to walk towards the door. She swung the door open and ran outside.

A shout could be heard resounding through the cool night air. "There's the clan head and her daughter!"

Enemy shinobi sprung into action, intent on beheading her mother and her.

As they approached a thunderous blast could be heard that rattled their bones. Looking to the origin of the blast she could the raging fire that would swallow up her village.

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Chō's eyes shot open, the room was dimly lit by the twilight. Her heart was pounding in her chest ready to leap out at a moments notice.

Her eyes darted about nervously, but she suddenly realized there was an arm around her and her heartbeat slowed, instantly knowing who's it was.

But as she dwelled on this further her cheeks began to turn a faint shade of pink.

Naruto's arm was around her.

She slowly turned her head to look back at him, but when she saw him she began giggling uncontrollably.

It seemed Naruto _wasn't_ cuddling with her, as he was laying face down with his head buried in the pillow, his arm just so happened to be laying on her.

She wasn't entirely sure how he was breathing but sure enough she could hear his muffled snores through the pillow.

She looked at his arm that was draping over her and she reached out to hold his hand. As she made contact she interlocked her fingers with his and she could hear a muffled goofy laugh from behind her.

She smiled wide and took comfort in his presence. Her mind was at peace and her soul was tranquil.

She closed her eyes and the clutches of sleep transported her back into the realm of dreams.

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She was running through the woods, ducking under low branches and vaulting over fallen trees. But something was different, she was smiling.

There was a grin on her face that would not go away, even as she realized someone was chasing her.

She stopped in her tracks and hid behind a large tree. Something else was different, the tree's were not like the ones from her home, these were native to fire country.

She poked her head out past the tree to get a glimpse of her pursuer. As she scanned the area she saw nothing and heard no footsteps.

She turned back only to see a blonde boy's face centimeters from hers.

He was hanging upside-down on a low branch and he grinned wide while saying "Found ya!"

Her smile widened, she decided to push the boy so he would fall off the branch and she laughed as he did.

The boy stood up and in retaliation swooped her off her feet, ran to a nearby river, and tossed her in. She giggled and screamed as she felt the water rush over her.

She swam to the surface and splashed at the boy who was still standing on the bank of the river. The blonde boy decided to cannon ball in, which showered her in large droplets.

The two played back and forth like this for hours. As the time flew by the sunshine gave way to the twilight and they decided to climb up high to watch the sun meander across the sky.

As the life giving star faded to make way for the night she layed her head on his shoulder, and he smiled.

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**Review anyone?!?**

**Fan: ooo me me!**

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**Fan: You suck bro**

***Sigh***


	6. Chapter 6

**Buckle up it's a long one : )**

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Chō woke up to the sun shining through the window. She smiled slightly as she could still feel Naruto's arm around her and could still hear him snoring.

'Guess I woke up first' She thought.

Then she remembered how Naruto had cooked breakfast for her and how good it was. Smiling wider she decided that this time she would cook for him and it would be even better than what Naruto made.

She snuck out of the bed as to not wake the blonde and crept into the kitchen to begin cooking.

'This is going to be great!' She thought excitedly.

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Everything was going horribly wrong.

Somehow Chō had managed to create the most repulsive meal on the planet. She grimaced as she stared at it and thought about where everything went wrong.

For starters, when she tried making the eggs the pan was too hot at first and it began to burn, after seeing this she lowered the flames but the temperature was too low and it failed to cook the eggs properly. So she had half burnt half raw eggs.

Second she burnt the waffles, which baffled her because the toaster cooked them to perfection everytime and there were no settings to mess with.

Somwhere along the way she decided it would be a good idea to toss the waffles into the pan along with the eggs. She was going to do the same for some bacon she had cooked but they had slithered away when she wasn't looking, refusing to be a part of her monstrosity.

Lastly she tried to cover all of her mistakes by drowning everything in syrup and mixing it up thoroughly.

So there she stood staring at her creation.

'Maybe it'll look better if I plate it.' She thought.

She lifted up the pan and scooped the contents out onto a plate where it landed with a wet plop.

She grimaced at the sight and sound of it and wanted to throw it out, but at that moment Naruto walked out of the bedroom yawning.

He looked to her with blurred vision and said "Good morning Chō-chan" Naruto's eyes lit up as he smelled that something had been cooked and then he saw the plate.

"You cooked breakfast? Sweet!" He exclaimed.

Naruto grabbed hold of a fork and stood over the so called "food".

"Naruto I really don't think-" Chō began, but it was too late. He had taken a bite.

His whole body tensed and froze completely in place.

"Naruto?" Chō asked worriedly. He was completely still with his hair shadowing his eyes. She poked him trying to get a reaction, he stood stock still without the slightest twitch.

She could see something slowly begin to form behind him, floating in the air. She squinted and looked closer.

"It's the shinigami! I killed him and the shinigami came for his soul!" She screamed.

Thinking on her feet she yanked the fork out of Naruto's mouth and scooped up more "food".

She looked towards the terrifying figure and asked "Do you want to try some of my food shinigami-sama?"

At this the death god gained a worried look and shook his head no.

"Please, I would love it if you just took a bite" Chō said stepping forward and bringing the plate with her.

The shinigami backed up as she approached. "Please oh please take a bite, just one?"

Now the shinigami began furiously shaking his head and as he backed into the wall Chō got even closer.

The poor demonic ghost was horrified as Chō began to stretch out the fork towards his mouth. The fork inched closer and closer until the shinigami could take no more and disappeared. The soul just wasn't worth it.

Naruto collapsed behind her and she ran to his side and placed the plate on the counter. Naruto's eyes shot open and he gasped for air.

"Naruto! Are you alright?"

He looked at her, bleary-eyed "What the hell did you put in that!" He said grasping her arm.

'It couldn't have been that bad' She thought downcast.

"Don't worry about what I put in it! Are you alright?" She asked again.

Slowly, Naruto calmed down and put the back of his hand to his head to feign illness.

"Only ramen can save me now Chō-chan" He exaggerated.

Chō giggled at his antics and said "I'll make you some then."

"NO! Don't...touch anything" Naruto said fearfully.

Chō sweat dropped 'I guess it really was that bad' she thought.

"let's go to ichiraku ramen, man, dying sure makes you hungry." Naruto said offhandedly.

Chō rolled her eyes and followed him out the door, leaving the plate forgotten on the counter. Never looking back to see it had sprouted arms and come alive.

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Naruto and Chō were walking side by side towards the ramen shop and they were nearly there.

"So" Naruto spoke up. "How'd you sleep?" He asked.

Chō remembered last night and recalled that she had one nightmare and another dream, a pleasant one.

Chō blushed and said "I slept better with you there."

Naruto smiled at her and she smiled back as they approached the shop.

"Hey listen, nightmares can be hard to get rid of but you just have to confront the emotions that cause them."

Chō looked at him. "You sound like you know what you're talking about. What caused your nightmares?" She asked.

She instantly regretted asking because in response Naruto simply scowled at the villagers around him.

"Oh, right." She muttered quietly.

"The dreams stopped when I decided that I would become hokage, no matter what. They stopped because I decided that I wasn't going to let myself feel inferior to everyone else anymore."

They reached the shop and sat down. A big man with a kind face walked out from the back and smiled at Naruto.

"I see you're back for my world famous ramen!" He glanced at Chō. "And you brought a girlfriend too!" He said laughing.

Both of them blushed furiously and said "We're not together!"

'Thats what they always say' Teuchi thought to himself.

"Anyway what'll it be Naruto?"

"Two bowls of miso ramen please"

"Coming right up" The man said as he walked away to prepare the food.

Naruto looked to his companion who was still blushing from Teuchis accusation.

"What's the plan for today? Think I can learn something new?"

Chō gave it some thought and decided that he still needed to learn a few things before they could continue.

"I have a couple more things that you need to learn and then we can start looking at the other elements. Which one do you want to learn next?" she asked

Naruto hummed in thought "Oxygen seems fun to learn I guess."

"Good choice, mastery over oxygen can make you very powerful since it's always around us." She stated.

Teuchi walked out with two bowls and set them out in front of his customers.

Naruto mouth was watering and he licked his lips in anticipation. "Time to chow down!" Naruto began to violently devour his noodles and Chō could only stare in fascination, wondering where it all went.

Naruto finished quickly and drank the broth leaving behind an empty bowl. Chō laughed and began to enjoy her own food as Naruto asked for another.

She heard another thud and saw that he had finished the second bowl. She was about to ask how that was even possible but there was a poof of smoke, alerting them to someones entrance.

They both looked of to see an anbu member standing stoically. He slowly glanced over to Naruto and said "Uzumaki-san your presence is required by Hokage-sama, now." and with that short sentence the man vanished.

Naruto blinked, "man they sure like to get straight to the point, not even a 'nice weather we're having' " he joked.

Chō giggled "What do you think the Hokage wants you for?" she questioned.

"I dunno but I guess I should get going. I'll see ya later!" He said as he began to run off.

Chō stared at his retreating form as he barrled down the street at full speed.

'Hopefully he's not gone all day' she thought.

Teuchi smiled and asked "Miss him already?"

"W-what no I... I GOTTA GO!" She yelled, dashing out of the shop blushing. Teuchi laughed loudly glad that Naruto finally had a friend.

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Naruto burst through the door to the hokages office to see a suprised looking Hiruzen sitting at his desk.

"You know Naruto" he said smirking "A closed door usually means you should knock."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and said "Aww come on jiji aren't ya happy to see me?"

The withered kage laughed. "Of course Naruto but I didn't just call you here to catch up. There's something important I must tell you"

"What is it?" He hoped it wasn't punishment for the prank he'd pulled a week ago. Personally he thought the anbu looked good in pink armor.

The hokage cleared his throught to catch Naruto's attention. "I decided that it would be best for you to enroll in the academy this year, I have all your papers filled out if you wish to go."

Naruto's eyes lit up like beacons and he beamed at the elderly man. "Really?! That's so awesome! I'll be hokage in no time dattebayo!"

Hiruzen chuckled at Naruto's verbal tick. "I'm sure you will young Naruto, but it's going to take a lot of hard work, are you ready for that?"

Naruto's eyes met those of the wise kage, and as he stared into those cerulean blues he could see embers of the will of fire, embers that would grow into a roaring inferno.

"I was born ready jiji"

Hiruzen smiled and moved closer to the boy, he had one more thing to give him.

"One last thing Naruto"

He looked up at his jiji inquisitively. Hiruzen produced a scroll from his robes and showed it to him.

"What is that?" Naruto asked

"Before I tell you anything you have to promise me to never try and teach this to anyone else."

The boy nodded his head. "I promise"

"Good. This here is a kinjutsu, a forbidden technique. It is called the kage bushin no jutsu or shadow clone jutsu."

"Forbidden justu" Naruto repeated, staring at the scroll.

Hiruzen had always known that Naruto would have enormous reserves due to the kyuubi and when he realized the clone jutsu was on the curriculum he decided that he couldn't let Naruto fall behind over something so simple. It was either this or teach the boy to master his chakra control.

Hiruzen continued to explain "The kage bushin no jutsu allows it's user to create a solid clone of themselves, which can be used for combat or reconnaissance."

Naruto furrowed his brow and wondered alloud "Well why is it forbidden then? It seems simple enough."

"That would be due to the enormous chakra requirement, I have seen many cases of chakra exhaustion due to this jutsu. But you shouldn't have a problem with that at all considering how massive your chakra pool is."

Naruto sat there letting the information sink in. He took the scroll and held it in his hands, he couldn't believe that he would be using a forbidden jutsu before he was even a genin.

The kage chuckled at the expression of awe on the young boys face.

"Well then Naruto, you better get to learning that jutsu if you want to become hokage."

Naruto looked up and said "I'll take that hat off your head in no time, just you wait old man!"

Laughing Hiruzen dismissed the boy from his office. He gazed out to the stone face of the fourth. 'He will make a fine shinobi' he thought.

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Chō was lying down in the grass watching as the clouds slowly drifted by. The area was littered with small glittering crystals from previous training sessions.

She was bored.

With Naruto gone there was nothing for her to do. He was the sole purpose for her even being here and now he was gone.

She sighed and sat up.

'At least he treated me to ramen before he left' She giggled 'Watching him eat was kinda funny too.'

She smiled as she recalled the past few days they'd spent together. He was always able to make her smile, even when he wasn't there apparently.

She absentmindedly began to create something out of diamond as she continued to think. Flashes of Naruto and his huge goofy grin passed through her mind.

When Chō was finally conscious of what she was doing she glanced down at her hand which now held a small Naruto head grinning up at her.

She let a small smile grace her lips. The head was actually pretty accurate. It had his spiky hair, big grin, and whisker marks to boot.

She could hear footsteps approaching and the sound of someone screaming her name.

It was Naruto!

She shot up to her feet and held her creation behind her back, trying to hide it. Naruto ran up to her grinning.

"You won't believe what Jiji just gave me!" He yelled. He thrust the scroll out in front of her. "It's a forbidden jutsu! And he says I can use it!"

Chō smiled and was about to respond when Naruto cut her off.

"Hey whatcha got there?"

Chō blushed a deep pink. "uh.. it's not- um I don't, I mean..."

"Aren't you gonna show it to me?" Naruto asked curiously.

Her will to resist was shattered as she saw Naruto staring at her like a curious little puppy.

Her blush intensified as she slowly pulled the crystal head out from behind her. She held it out for Naruto but looked to the side in embarrassment.

Naruto grabbed the strange object and inspected it closely. Upon realizing what it was he began to blush slightly, in his opinion the face was more handsome than he actually was.

'Is this... what she thinks of me?' he wondered.

"H-hey Chō why'd you make this?" He asked smiling at her.

Chō seemed very calm on the outside, but on the inside she was having a crisis.

'I don't know why I made it! Oh man why did I make it?! What kinda question is that anyway?! Why does it matter if I made it while thinking of him cause he was gone?! Oh man I need an excuse and quick!' She ranted in her mind.

Suddenly an idea popped into her head. She took her creation out of his hands and said "Here, watch this"

She turned towards a tree and gripped the head tightly. Taking aim Chō reared her arm back and hurled the small projectile toward her target.

The Naruto head flew through the air and, due to the very sharp hair, stuck into the bark. Chō smiled wide as she brought her hand up and snapped, causing the Naruto head to explode, shredding the tree it was lodged in and imbedding shards in many others.

Naruto stared in shock and glanced over to Chō "So you recreated my head just to violently blow it up?"

"um...yes?"

Naruto faulted. "That's kinda evil Chō-chan"

She giggled. "But that's how I wanted to start today's lesson"

'That's right Chō just make up a cover story for that head, he'll never suspect a thing.' She thought to herself.

Naruto began to pay attention and she continued to speak.

"I taught you how to manipulate carbon to make diamond, but I never taught you that you can manipulate the diamond even if it's not connected to you."

"For instance." She said, pointing to the shards imbedded in the trees. She formed the ram hand seal and Naruto watched as the shards began to grow and spread across the trunk of the tree.

"You always amaze me Chō-chan" He said in awe.

Pink rose to her cheeks "Thank you Naruto-kun. We can practice for a few hours and then go home to study"

Naruto grinned and shouted "Sir yes sir!"

That earned him a punch, but also a smile and the pain was worth it if she smiled.

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**leave a review and let me know ****what you think**.


	7. Chapter 7

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Naruto awoke to the harsh beeping of an alarm clock. He quickly brought his arm around and shut it off. He opened his eyes to see Chō laying next to him, she was still alseep.

The sunlight was gleaming through the window, giving her face a gentle glow. Naruto couldn't help but smile. That smile faded slowly as he asked himself something.

Why had he set an alarm? He never had an alarm set.

His eyes shot open in realization. He swiflty and silently rocketed out of bed, and made his way out of the bedroom.

After brushing his teeth and making a cup of you know what, he gathered his stuff and set out the front door.

He threw one last glance to his bedroom. He didn't want to leave without saying goodbye but he didn't want to wake her.

He let out a small sigh, shut the door and made his way to the academy.

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He stopped walking and looked around for a moment. He was right in front of the academy, and the sight of such a big building intimidated him a little bit.

Looking around more he could see kids being dropped off by their parents, mothers mostly. He felt a pang of loneliness, something he hadn't felt since he met Chō.

He found a swing and sat down, waiting for the school day to start. He could see a woman with her little boy looking in his direction.

The child looked up as his mother began to say something while keeping her eyes on Naruto. Now the boy looked at Naruto as well and as he began to walk closer his mother left.

Naruto was on guard now. Had that woman really just sent her child to do her dirty work?

'I guess beating on kids at a school wouldn't just fly by like it usually does.' Naruto thought.

The boy stopped in front of Naruto and just stared for a few seconds.

"Hey" he said.

"...Hi" Naruto was seriously thrown off right now. He thought this guy was going to pick a fight.

"I'm Sasuke."

"Naruto."

"...soooo, can you use chakra yet?" Sasuke asked.

Was he trying to make friends? Naruto suddenly realized that Sasuke's mom wasn't glaring at him like adults usually did. She probably told him to come here and talk to him.

'I wonder why though?' he thought. 'Maybe I can make a new friend!'

Naruto gave a huge grin and said "you bet I can! I can do a bunch of cool stuff!"

"I bet my jutsu are way cooler than yours"

Naruto was about to retort when a teacher began to call the students in.

He threw a look to Sasuke and said "This isn't over yet"

Sasuke smiled and responded with "whatever you say."

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As Naruto and Sasuke walked into the academy, they continued their chat asking questions and getting to know each other better. Once they entered the classroom they sat down next to each other and waited for the other students to file in.

Most students came in and took theor seats very quickly but a blonde girl and a pink haired girl walked in together and stopped in the doorway for a moment. The blonde one looked over in Sasuke's direction and whispered to her friend.

"That's Sasuke Uchiha he's the son of the Uchiha clan head. He's pretty cute don't you think?" she said.

The pink haired one nodded and asked "Who is the one next to him?"

"I don't know, he's pretty plain looking but those whisker marks are cute!" She responded.

"Whisker marks? Mother told me to stay away from the boy with whiskers, did she mean him?"

Sasuke looked over to the girls and shook his head in annoyance. He really didn't like all the attention he got. He looked over to Naruto who looked a bit down. The girls were talking about him too most likely, he couldn't hear them that well.

"Do people whisper about you a lot?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded slowly.

"Yeah me too. But you get used to it after awhile, right?"

"I guess" Naruto mumbled.

"Hey" a voice said behind Naruto.

Turning to see the owner of said voice he saw a boy with a lazy look in his eyes, a boy with a small dog with him, and a chunkier boy devouring some chips.

The lazy looking one spoke up again "Why do you have whisker marks anyway? Are they scars or something?"

Naruto shrugged and said "I think they're like birthmarks"

"I've never seen birthmarks like that" The boy with the dog said.

Naruto shrugged again and was about to say something else but the teacher walked into the classroom and the room quieted down quickly.

"Why don't we start things off with a simple question. What is a shinobi?"

The students first day at the academy finally began.

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Chō was being roused from her sleep. She had a dreamless night and the sun was telling her it was time to get up.

The light felt warm on her skin and she was very comfy under the blankets but she could tell something was off.

She extended her arm out to the other half of the bed and felt nothing. Her eyes fluttered open and she could see that her blonde haired friend was missing.

Panic set in for a moment before she remembered their talk yesterday.

'He's at the academy already?' She frowned slightly. 'He should have said goodbye... I hope he'll be alright.'

She sat up and stretched, letting out a small sigh as her bones popped and her muscles loosened up.

She was still getting used to this physical body. After a couple hundred years of being an intangible spirit, suddenly being able to feel and taste was kinda... weird.

She stepped out of bed and just stood there for a moment.

"What, in the name of kami-sama, am I gonna do to pass the time?" She muttered.

Letting out a sigh she exited the bedroom and looked around at Naruto's apartment. Despite having slept in his bed for a couple nights in a row she'd never properly had a look around his place.

She could see a couch a little to her left, parallel to where she was standing. It seemed kind of old and was stained in a few places.

In front of the couch was a small coffe table with many ring shaped stains. Evidently Naruto didn't know what coasters were.

Directly to her right was the bathroom door. The bathroom door was perpendicular to the bedroom door.

She walked forward and stopped at a dining table. Turning left she entered the kitchen.

Curious, she decided to open some of the cupboards. She sweatdropped at what she saw.

'Ramen ramen and more ramen!' she thought.

She opened the last cupboard but instead of ramen she found something hideous. It was a brown sludge just sitting there. The slime suddenly opened its eyes and stared at her.

"Kaa-saann... kaa...san" The creature said said as it began dragging itself toward Chō. It kept up a steady

Chō went pale in the face and looked horrified. She remembered now, when she tried to make breakfast for Naruto this was the result. She slammed the cupboard shut.

'Naruto doesn't need to know about that' She thought while laughing nervously.

pushing that memory to the deepest darkest recesses of her mind, she walked back to the bedroom, the last place for her to explore.

She knew the layout of the bedroom well already, but there was always more to see.

'For example' She swung open the closet door and was greeted with a lot of orange. every peice of clothing had some amount of orange on it.

She grabbed a shirt with an orange spiral on it and blushed a little as an idea popped into her head. She began to remove her regular attire and replaced it with the shirt.

It reached down to about her mid-thigh, it seemed like it would even be big on Naruto.

Now she walked over to some drawers. She slid one open and found a neat pile of letters all adressed to Naruto. Chō just couldn't help but to open one up and start reading.

_Dear Naruto-kun_,

_Happy 5th birthday!_ _I am so glad to see that you are doing well and growing up to be a healthy young boy. You once told me that you wanted to be hokage like me and so I bought you a little gift, I hope you like it (But be careful it's sharp)_ _From__ Hiruzen_.

She opened another, more recent looking one.

_Dear Naruto-kun_,

_Happy 8th birthday!_ _You're growing up so fast Naruto it almost scares me. But when I look at you all I feel is pride. I am proud of you because I know things are hard for you. I am proud of you because despite all of that you still smile. The will of fire is stronger in you than any other. I can't be there for you all the time but I want you to know that you can come to me with anything. I love you like my own grandson Naruto_. _From__ your Jiji_.

She stared at the paper and noticed that there were spots where it was wrinkled, like drops of water fell on it.

An image of Naruto looking small and frail with tears in his eyes popped into her head and it hurt her heart.

She could hear the front door open and quickly, but neatly, put the letters back where she found them and hopped to her feet.

"I'm home!" She heard Naruto say.

Slowly Chō walked to Naruto, she stopped in front of him and as he was going to say something she threw her arms around him.

"Welcome home" She said.

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Never in a million years would he have imagined to hear those words. He figured he would always be alone. His eyes started to sting but he held himself together.

He hugged her back and they stayed like that for awhile. Finally Naruto pulled away to look at her. There was a brief pause as he said "Why are you wearing my shirt?"

Chō had been caught red handed, she didn't think to change out of the shirt before coming to greet him. She blushed but kept her cool and smoothly said the first thing that came to mind.

"...it looked comfy"

"Oh, ok. You can have it if you want" Naruto said.

"You sure? I don't want to make you waste your money like that."

Naruto frowned. "I got that one for free, actually. The shopkeeper threw it at me when he told me to leave, said I was disturbing his customers."

Chō, sensing the change in his mood, grabbed his hand and said "Why don't we go to the training grounds? It's still light outside."

Naruto perked up a bit. Going to the academy and coming back to training from Chō was tiring but at this rate he'd be hokage in no time.

"lets do it."

Chō nodded and went to change back into her own clothes.

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"So, if memory serves me right you wanted to learn about oxygen."

Naruto nodded and gave his full attention to his teacher.

"Well, the thing is, there isn't too much oxygen can actually do on its own. It's very useful in certain situations and is amazing when you're skilled enough to combine your elements."

"With that being said it isn't completely useless but some techniques take more effort than others. This is because you have to manipulate existing oxygen molecules rather than ones you created."

Chō sat in front of Naruto who did the same. She created an oxygen molecule and placed it in his hand.

"I can feel it, it's so different from carbon." He said slightly surprised.

"Now that you have a feel of it I can teach you some techniques."

Naruto was suddenly aware of a strange burning sensation in his chest. He took a deep breath but it didn't go away, as a matter of fact it got more intense by the second.

He looked to Chō in distress and she said "Your lungs burn right?"

He nodded. He began to take even deeper breaths but to no avail.

"Thats because I'm blocking oxygen from reaching your lungs, a person deprived of oxygen for more then 5 minutes can die. The kagaku clan mainly used this technique for torture and interrogation but the most skilled used it with lethal efficiency."

He nervously looked over to her and said "um I would like to breathe now Chō-chan... please?"

She giggled and released the technique while Naruto took a deep breath. "That was technique number one. Number two is much simpler. If you find yourself in a situation where you can't breathe just create oxygen in your lungs, this won't keep you alive indefinitely but it'll get you out of sticky situations."

"That would've been good to know" Naruto muttered.

"And last but not least, oxygen is something called an accelerant. An accelerant is a substance that makes fires burn hotter and more intese."

She raised both hands and a small flame appeared in each. She raised her right hand and said "This is hydrogen gas burning in regular oxygen levels."

She raised her left and said "This is what happens when the air is saturated with oxygen."

The flame suddenly grew twice as big and went from orange to white hot. Naruto stared on in awe.

Chō was very pleased with the look Naruto was giving her.

"Would this work with fire jutsu as well?" Naruto asked.

Chō nodded, saying "The eliete shinobi of the kagaku clan used jutsu in tandem with their kekkai genkai to devastating effect."

She balled her hands into fists and extinguished the flames. Placing her very warm hands on his face she jokingly said "Now get to leranin' fishcake!"

Naruto gave her one of his very rare, genuinely happy smiles and got to work. It was easy to create oxygen which meant that he quickly mastered two of the three techniques Chō had mentioned.

The third, however, was causing him problems. Controlling existing particles was ridiculously more difficult than creating his own. As the light drained from the sky and stars began to shine through the dark, Naruto had made no progress.

"I just don't get it!" Naruto exclaimed.

Chō gave him a glance and said "That's okay Naruto-kun, it's actually my fault, it's an advanced technique and I shouldn't have told you about it yet."

"I've hardly even scratched the surface of this kekkai genkai! I can't get stuck on this!" He spat out.

Chō grabbed his hand and smiled.

"Why dont we call it a day?" She asked.

Naruto relaxed. He found it strange that he could be so frustrated one moment and then calm in the next.

She let go of his hand and sat against a tree. She signaled for him to join her.

"Come sit with me, you look tired."

Naruto had no arguments. He really was tired after all those failed attempts and had used up too much of his chakra. He took a seat next to her and they shared some moments of comfortable silence.

Naruto glanced over to Chō and got this bubbly feeling. He was grateful to have met her and now sitting here under the star dotted sky with her, he was truly happy.

She broke the silence and asked "How was your day at the academy?"

Naruto had almost forgotten about that. He perked up and grinned.

"It was really good! I made some new friends and I spent the day with them, and there's this one guy called sasuke who thinks he's so cool but my jutsu are definitely better than his."

Naruto was talking a mile a minute with the happiest grin Chō had ever seen. He had the child like enthusiasm that Chō was so fond of on full display now.

"And then theres also shikamaru and kiba. Shikamaru is really lazy but he seems smart and kiba has a little puppy named akamaru."

He continued talking for another few minutes and Chō just smiled and listened. Seeing him so happy made her happy.

And to think that she was worried this morning.

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	8. Chapter 8

**These next few chapters skip forward in the timeline**

**This takes place a year after chap 7**

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An old man was walking slowly through the mostly empty streets of Konoha. The sky had beautiful shades of red and pink on the horizon as the sun had just come up. It was strange to see an elderly man walking through the streets so early but this wasn't just any Konoha resident.

If you looked close enough, you could start to make out some familar features. Features that belonged to none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As nice as it is for a konoha resident to see the hokage, one could only wonder what he was doing roaming the streets at this time.

'Whatever it is it must be important' Thought a passerby.

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Naruto awoke to a banging sound. He wasn't exactly sure what it was or where it was coming from. He let out a groan in response.

The banging continued.

'What could the universe possibly want from me now? I just want to sleep on my day off!' Naruto thought groggily.

With the banging now picking up a continuous pace Naruto decide to investigate. Naruto attempted to untangle himself from the white haired girl clinging to him with no success. He very lightly slapped her cheek to rouse her.

"Chō-chan I gotta go" he said

"Nooo... you're ave heat needs me." She mumbled

'...What?' Naruto thought

"I gotta go" He repeated.

He pulled away and Chō reluctantly released her grip with a frown on her still sleepy face.

Naruto stepped out of bed and walked towards the banging he now determined to be knocking. He rubbed his eyes a bit before opening the front door.

Standing in the doorway, with the sunrise to his back, was Sarutobi who smiled at the sight of the young blonde.

Naruto blinked for a moment before his eyes widened and he went to hug the old kage.

"Jiji!" he exclaimed.

The old man laughed and said "It's good to see you too Naruto!"

Naruto quickly pulled back to meet the wise eyes of Sarutobi and practically yelled "I have so much to tell you!"

"I am sure you do! It has been a year since I came here last, after all." Hiruzen responded.

"I've been meaning to tell you about that thing you-" Naruto was cut off by a voice echoing from the bedroom.

"NARutooo-kunnn... come back! I'm cold without you..."

Naruto and Hiruzen froze in place. Naruto was blushing harder than ever before and was too embarrassed to even look at his jiji.

The withered Hokage suddenly had a violent change in demeanor. His hat cast a shadow over his eyes and there was something sinister about his aura.

'Naruto... you can't have possibly... at this age?' Hiruzen thought.

'Who would dare defile my boy! Who would dare strip the innocence of this blonde knucklehead! HE WAS TO REMAIN PURE FOREVER!'

Hiruzen was brought out of his thoughts when he saw the state of Naruto. He was sweating and shaking, with his eyes darting all about. Evidently the kage was releasing huge amounts of killing intent.

'oops...' he thought.

Hiruzen quickly cleared his throat and smiled to calm Naruto's nerves.

"You have... company?" he asked simply.

"Uh w-well... yeah?" Naruto stuttered.

"Do you wanna meet her?" He asked.

"Yes very much so" The kage replied, almost too quickly.

"ok wait here" Naruto said as he let Hiruzen in and shut the front door.

He walked into the bedroom and shut the door to give himself a little privacy. He didn't think getting Chō out of bed would be an easy task.

As soon as he reached the edge of the bed Chō's arms shot out and dragged him back under the covers.

"I'm finally warm again" She said with a pleasant smile.

As tempted as Naruto was to just stay there he once again got out of bed.

"I want you to meet somebody Chō-chan" He said.

"I don't wanna" Chō whined.

"Please? It's important to me."

Chō looked over at Naruto and saw that he was serious. If he thought it was important then of course she would go, but not before she messed with him just a little bit more.

"Then will you carry me in your big strong arms Naruto-kun~ ?" She asked smirking a bit.

Naruto blushed at the thought of his jiji seeing him carry Chō like a princess.

"Absolutely not" He said matter of factly.

She giggled at the sight of Naruto blushing and sat up to stretch.

"Fine" She said stepping out of bed.

"Let's meet this mystery man then."

Naruto nodded and went to open the door for Chō. Strangely as he swung the door open he felt the air shift. Almost as if a well trained shinobi was standing there listening just a moment ago.

Naruto dismissed it as he walked with Chō to where Hiruzen was waiting. They stopped in front of him and Naruto spoke up.

"This is her, the one and only Chōshinsei!"

Chō's heart dropped as Sarutobi narrowed his gaze. Chō was hoping that she would never run into this man because if he came to realize that she was not from konoha it would raise many questions. Questions that should stay unanswered.

Hiruzen was instantly suspicious. He'd never seen this girl before. That's not to say that he knew everyone in the village, but a girl with white hair and orange eyes? He would have noticed that, especially if she was an orphan and judging by her association with Naruto, she probably was.

His mind quickly jumped to the worst possible scenario. This girl was a shinobi sent to seduce and abduct Naruto in order to obtain the Ninetails. It's a far-fetched theory but not impossible, so he must prove or debunk it.

These deductions that Hiruzen made took less than a second in real time and without missing a beat he said

"It's a pleasure to meet you Chō-san, It makes me elated to see that Naruto has a friend around."

Chō relaxed a bit, he didn't seem suspicious and if he was he hid it very well.

"The pleasure is all mine Hokage-sama. It seems that you and Naruto-kun are very close as well."

The aged kage gave a small pleasant smile and said "Yes I tend to be rather protective of him."

There was something about the way he said that. 'Was that a threat?' Chō thought.

"If you don't mind me asking, does your family live far from here?" He asked sweetly.

Chō's heart began to speed up. She was already being backed into a corner, whatever answer she gave would raise suspicion and things would get much more complicated if the Hokage decided that she was untrustworthy.

'He seriously doesn't waste any time!' Chō thought frantically.

As dense as Naruto was he could feel the tension in the air and he could see as Chō began to shift uncomfortably.

"Well... I'm actually an orphan" Chō responded.

'Bingo' Hiruzen thought.

"That's strange, I've never seen you in the konoha orphanages, I go there quite often you see."

Chō began to sweat under the steely gaze of the Hokage. His friendly demeanor betrayed the scrutiny in his eyes.

Naruto spoke up, gaining their attention.

"Thats because I found her outside of Konoha. I was going to run away again but then I found her and came back to make sure she would be okay."

Analysing Naruto closely he could only _assume _that he was lying. Naruto was such a natural at weaving false tales that even Hiruzen had trouble discovering the truth sometimes, specifically because when Naruto lied it ran parallel to the truth. In this case, it wouldn't be the first time he tried to run away from the village.

Luckily Hiruzen could always find him and convince him to stay. He let out a small sigh.

'Whether he's lying or not I suppose I will trust his judgment for the time being. Naruto doesn't lie for just anyone after all. Although I will be keeping an eye on this one' He thought while glancing at Chō.

He erased all traces of suspicion from his face and turned to Chō.

"Well, you must've had a hard life, I'm glad that Naruto found you. I don't know what I would do if Naruto ran away and never came back."

Chō sighed in relief. 'Naruto-kun to the rescue' she thought.

"Well why don't I make you two something to eat while you catch up?" Chō asked, eager to get away from the wise kage.

Naruto went pale in the face and you could see terror in his eyes. He was about to turn and say something to Chō but she cut him off.

"I'm only gonna make cup ramen geez. You taught me how remember?" she said with a pout.

Naruto visibly relaxed and said "Sorry, it's just that ever since that first time I can't help but feel pure terror everytime you're near the kitchen."

Chō continued to pout and playfully punched his arm before walking into the kitchen.

Hiruzen laughed heartily at the scene. He was beginning to believe he made the right choice in trusting Naruto's judgment.

He sat down at the table with Naruto and they began to catch up.

"She's an interesting one. How long you two been together?" he asked

"I've known her for a year now. I really like having her around, she makes everything... brighter."

"I am glad to see that she makes you happy... in more ways than one" He said smirking.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked

"Oh nothing at all" The kage waved his hand dismissively.

"I believe you were going to tell me something at the door before we were interrupted, correct?"

Naruto perked up. "Yeah! I finally learned that jutsu you gave me."

"So you've mastered the shadow clone jutsu. With that out of the way there is nothing stopping you from being a great shinobi. You are aware of the training aspect of them right?"

"what do you mean?" Naruto inquired.

"The shadow clones transfer information from the clone to the user, so that includes reading books, learning jutsu, or even for... research purposes" He added that last one while thinking of his toad sage disciple.

As Chō brought the ramen and set it down in front of them Naruto told Hiruzen about the friends he made at the academy and how much happier he was now. Although he kept his new kekkai genkai to himself.

In turn, Hiruzen talked about his duties as hokage and even let Naruto in on some confidential information on Konoha's covert ops. Nothing that would matter if leaked, but he still made doubly sure that Chō didn't hear it.

Time flew by as they continued their idle chat until it was time for Hiruzen to leave.

"Unfortunately it's time I get going Naruto, I wish I could stay longer"

Naruto frowned a bit but said "That's okay, the village won't run itself right?"

'I still remember the young boy who would beg me to stay for just another minute. Perhaps this girl truly is good for him' He thought.

Hiruzen walked to the front door and turned to face Naruto and Chō, pausing for a moment.

"I want to say two things before I go. The first, I'll be sure to stop by more frequently from now on. Evidently I have missed many important things."

He was looking at Naruto while saying this but Chō had the feeling it was directed more towards her. His way of saying _I'll be watching you so don't try anything_.

"And second," He continued. He quickly glanced between the two of them and then fixed his eyes back onto Naruto.

"Use protection. You are too young to be a father."

Chō's cheeks flushed a deep pink and she suddenly found her feet to be extremely interesting.

'Where did he get that idea from!? It's not like... I want... that." Chō thought blushing even more now.

Naruto simply gave him a confused look.

Having said his peace the wise old man calmly walked out and shut the door behind himself. Naruto repeated the mans words in his head and blushed as he came to realize the implications.

He quickly threw the door open again to loudly deny these accusations but Hiruzen was already gone. Naruto shut the door and turned back to the still flustered Chō. They locked eyes for a moment before blushing harder and looking away once again.

Eventually Naruto cleared his throat to break the tension. "H-hey Chō-chan"

"Yeah?"

"You said we didn't have to train today right?"

"That's right"

"And I don't have to go to the academy today either, so I was thinking that we could watch the sunrise... I know how much you like that."

Her heart skipped a beat. She would never tell him this but she often dreamed about gazing at the stars or watching the sunset with Naruto. And obviously he had been paying attention.

'Naruto-kun is so sweet!' She thought.

The bond between them was getting stronger and stronger and that's what scared her. When the time finally came... She felt something wash over her, fear and anxiety. She shook it off and smiled.

"Of course! I would love to watch the sunrise with you Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed.

"Come on let's go!" She squealed as she took his hand and practically dragged him out of the house.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX


	9. Chapter 9

**Another skip, this** **is** **two years after the previous chap.**

* * *

It was another normal day at the academy, Iruka was giving his lectures, kids were talking, Shikamaru was sleeping, everything seemed normal from an outside perspective.

But from the lens of Naruto Uzumaki, everything was off, in _and _out of the classroom. For starters, Naruto was not paying attention and seemed to be deep in thought, maybe even a bit sad.

That wasn't normal for the usually hyperactive blonde. Second, one of his friends, Sasuke Uchiha, had missed nearly two weeks of class.

Now that he finally was here, Naruto could see that Sasuke wasn't just sick or injured. Something happened that changed his very being and Naruto didn't know what.

Everytime Naruto asked or even tried to speak to him at all, he was either ignored or snapped at. Sasuke had been trying to avoid him in the days past as well.

These are just the problems within the academy. Naruto faced more when he arrived home. His other friend Chō, who he had been getting very close with, was also avoiding him. She would brush off his suggestions to hang out together and she no longer slept beside him. The most time they spent together was when they trained. But she always tried to end their training sessions as quickly as possible.

Sometimes she would even dissapear for the entire day leaving Naruto home alone, the way it always used to be.

Naruto glanced towards Sasuke who wasn't listening to the lecture either.

'I wonder if I did something to make them both mad. What was it?' He wondered.

Iruka raised his voice for the whole class to hear "Okay everyone it's time for lunch."

Sasuke was the first to stand, gather his things, and leave. Naruto watched him go and he turned to Shikamaru, Kiba and Choji.

"Hey do you guys know what's wrong with Sasuke?" He asked.

Kiba spoke up "Nah man but he's kinda been a dickhead lately."

Choji chuckled and then Shikamaru said "You should go talk to him without us or anyone else around. I don't know if you've noticed but he's closer to you than the three of us."

Naruto was taken aback. 'Is that really true?' he thought. Naruto quickly nodded and gathered his things to follow after Sasuke.

* * *

Naruto finally caught up to him. Sasuke had skipped out on lunch entirely and made a beeline towards the training grounds. He was alone, practicing, forging himself into an efficient killer. Naruto stepped out where Sasuke could see him.

He paused in his motions and threw a sideways glance at Naruto before returning to his training in the hopes that Naruto would simply leave.

In Naruto's mind an image of Chō appeared and mirrored Sasuke's disdainful glance. A sudden pain shot through his chest.

Naruto frowned deeply. 'What did I do to make them so mad at me? ... or is it that they finally saw what the villagers see... and now they hate me.'

He turned slowly, considering just walking away. Then he remembered. He remembered the feeling of being alone, of coming home to a quiet empty house, he never wanted to feel those things again.

He approached the lone Uchiha, determined to try and repair their friendship. He stopped a mere foot away and Sasuke turned to look at him. Naruto could see nothing in his eyes, they were almost dead. He could only see sorrow.

"What do you want Naruto"

"Tell me why you've been avoiding me. What did I do?"

Sasuke broke eye contact with Naruto and turned his back to him. He took a deep breath and said "I find you annoying Naruto, now leave me alone."

Naruto's shoulders dropped and sadness washed over him like an ocean wave. He just couldn't understand, they used to be so close. That couldn't have all been fake could it?

"That's not true!" Naruto shouted angrily.

"Why are you still here?" Sasuke asked.

Although it went unheard, his voice trembled ever so slightly.

Naruto balled his hands into firsts and stomped right up to Sasuke who turned around to face him now. Naruto grabbed him by the shirt.

Sasuke's reaction was immediate. He punched Naruto in the face and exclaimed "Don't touch me!"

Naruto released his grip and held his cheek, stunned. Sasuke also looked suprised and glanced at his still balled up fist. Naruto exploded into a rage and tackled Sasuke to the ground pummeling him with as many punches as he could throw.

Now Sasuke's rage began to build as well and as Naruto pulled his fist back for a power blow, Sasuke's eyes changed from black to blood red with a single tomoe swirling around the pupil. Naruto froze at the sight of it.

Sasuke had previously told him all about the sharingan and how it was obtained.

'What the hell happened to you Sasuke?' Naruto thought.

Sasuke took advantage of Naruto's hesitation and punched him with enough force to knock him to the ground and off of Sasuke's prone form. They both quickly rose to their feet. As they stared each other down it was clear neither one of them was going to back away from the fight.

Naruto charged in and Sasuke kicked at his left side. Naruto made no attempt to dodge this, he stopped and braced so that he wouldn't be moved. When Sasuke's leg connected, his nerves cried out in pain as if he had struck something hard.

Naruto created a diamond gauntlet over his fist and drove it deep into Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke stood his ground and went to punch Naruto in the face once more. Again Naruto refused to dodge, instead he covered the left side of his face with diamond. When Sasuke's punch landed he flinched and his knuckles began to bleed.

Naruto was using the taijutsu style Chō had taught him. Because of his ability to access defense at all times he focused solely on offense and as the enemy continued to attack Naruto would slowly add more and more armor, which in turn limits the amount of attacks that the enemy can make.

Sasuke quickly switched up and attempted to punch the other side of Naruto's face but was met with the same result. Now Sasuke placed his foot directly on Naruto's chest which he had quickly covered up.

Instead of simply kicking him Sasuke used his foot to push Naruto away and make him stumble, creating some distance.

Naruto was relentless and instantly began to close the distance once more. Sasuke's reaction was to throw a kunai.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and batted the kunai away with his covered hand, chipping the edge in the process. He looked in complete shock at the kunai and then back to Sasuke.

That kunai was aimed for his neck.

Sssuke seemed to realize what he just did as well and a horrified expression came to his face.

"...I..." Sasuke tried to speak but couldn't find the words.

All the armor Naruto had built up during the fight shattered and fell to the ground as he walked to pick up the kunai. He stared at it for a moment taking note of the damage his gauntlet caused to it's once sharp edge. Suddenly he spoke up.

"If you'd just tell me what's wrong I would support you no matter what the problem is. That's what I thought friends were for... They say that people are supposed to be stronger when they come together."

Naruto paused and took a moment to coat the edges of the kunai in a sheet of razor sharp diamond, repairing the damage.

"...But I guess I wouldn't know anything about that." Naruto finished.

He chucked the kunai into the tree trunk next to Sasuke and walked away. Sasuke watched his retreating form and then turned to the discarded kunai. He pulled it out and held it in front of him.

A single tear rolled down his cheek before splattering onto the kunai.

* * *

By the time Naruto got back to the academy, the students were already being sent home. There was a strange feeling residing in him. He had skipped out on lunch but he wasn't even hungry. His mind was occupied.

He felt betrayed. Sasuke had completely undermined his trust and played him for a fool.

'Three years... three years of what I thought was friendship... but he hated me from the start?'

Naruto gave a short sad laugh and thought 'Who wouldn't?'

Before he knew it he was back home. Opening the door, he could see Chō sitting on the couch with a book. Every time Naruto came home he was hoping to get a warm welcome and every time he was left with sadness and disappointment.

He walked through the door and intended to walk to the bedroom without saying a word.

"Naruto-kun"

Naruto's perked up and his eyes shined with hope for a moment as he turned to face Chō. She froze when they locked eyes and it seemed like she wanted to say something. Her lips parted and then shut a couple times before she looked away and simply said

"Are you ready to train now?"

The hopeful glimmer in Naruto's eyes died and his face fell. Why did he expect anything? He should've never got his hopes up.

"Yeah" was Naruto's response.

"Good, we will be going into your mindscape again."

"Let's get it over with then."

Chō flinched slightly at his words. Naruto sat down onto the couch and slipped into his subconscious mind.

* * *

Naruto arrived in his mindscape which they had been using to train without disturbing anyone. Due to the destructive nature of some of Naruto's abilities they chose not to practice in the village.

Instead, Naruto recreated a section of konoha in order to properly assess their destructive power. It has been three years since he met Chō and in those three years he became very powerful for an academy student. He mastered carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, being able to use them in all three states of matter. Not to mention he also learned the kagaku clan taijutsu.

Chō suddenly appeared beside him. He went to take a glance at her and she averted her eyes.

She took a breath and said "Let's start"

Naruto said nothing.

Chō moved to stand in front of Naruto as she began the training session.

"I've taught you almost everything you need to know. For today you'll will be learning how to utilize the fourth element hydrogen. As you have seen me demonstrate in the past, hydrogen can be used to create a constant flame or an explosion."

Naruto was hardly even paying attention at this point, as much as he tried to focus solely on the lesson his mind continued to race, thinking of everything he experienced with Chō, Sasuke, and even the villagers. The questions he so desperately wanted to ask were bubbling beneath the surface, clawing to get out.

But Naruto held them in check, because he was afraid of the answers.

Finally, he was able to clear his head and focus on the task at hand. He had just caught the last thing Chō said. She wanted him to create an explosion, "Nothing too big" she said.

Naruto obliged, wanting to end this training session and perhaps escape the feelings that came with seeing Chō's face.

He created a cluster of hydrogen in his hands, an easy task after having mastered three other elements. Remembering previous lessons, Naruto forced a ton of charkra into the cluster causing it to explode. When the smoke cleared out of the way you could see a surprised looking Naruto with his hair blown back.

Chō suddenly burst out laughing at the sight of it. As Naruto saw her smiling face he also began to smile brightly and chuckle slighty at his mistake, he just couldn't help it.

Chō wiped a tear from her eye and looked to see a smiling Naruto. For a moment her smile grew even wider and brighter, a feeling of joy swelling within her.

The smile quickly died and that jovial face was replaced by a sad, somber one. She once again averted her eyes, refusing to look at the blonde who she was once so close with.

Naruto flashed through a range of emotions as the questions and feelings he tried to keep at bay flooded over him like a tsunami, sweeping away whatever stood in it's path. There was nothing he could do to stop it now so whatever happens, happens, and he would have to live with it.

"Why?" Naruto asked through gritted teeth.

"What?"

"Why?" Naruto repeated.

"Why are you doing this to me?" The pain in his voice was evident.

In her surprise Chō stuttered and then fell silent. Naruto continued his pained outburst.

"Why are you treating me like this? Why can't we just go back to the way we used to be?!"

In a strained voice Chō said "it's better this way."

Naruto felt like his skin ignited into flames and his anger soared quickly while hot tears simultaneously rolled down his cheeks.

"You're all the same! I knew I never should've trusted you from the beginning! You planned this from the start because you wanted to hurt me, that's all anybody ever wants... to see me in pain!"

With quivering lips Chō weakly whispered

"No... Naruto-kun please don't say that..."

But Naruto couldn't hear her, he was at his tipping point. The years of abuse and loneliness, Sasuke's harsh words just earlier today, and the growing rift between him and Chō were all culminating into this.

"I should've knew what you were but I never wanted to believe it! I should've knew because there never has been and never will be someone that I can _truly_ rely on! I was an idiot to hope for that."

Naruto collapsed to his knees and clenched his chest, the tears continuously flowing down his face.

"...No one wants me."

"That's not true and you know it!" Chō shouted.

" It is though, isn't it?" Naruto said mournfully.

The buildings surrounding them began to vanish and the ground melted into ankle deep liquid. Behind the broken, kneeling visage of Naruto was the Kyuubi towering above him, with tails swinging through the air.

**"Pitiful creature"** The beast said from behind his cage.

A stern look from Chō caused the nine tails to snarl.

**"You are lucky to have Kami's protection girl."**

"Shut up furball"

The "furball" in question simply growled before putting it's head back down to rest.

Chō quickly kneeled down next to Naruto causing the water to splash. She reached out to touch Naruto, to comfort and console him, but she paused.

What right did she have? She had no right to be by his side in his time of need, specifically because she was partly responsible for it. She pulled her hand back.

'Alright' Chō thought.

'I have to tell him why... and if he forgives me after that, then I can be there to comfort him. But he deserves to know why.'

"Naruto-kun" She started.

At this point Naruto's tears had stopped flowing but as he turned his face look at Chō she could see his eyes were dull and sad, nothing like the shining cerulean blues she knew.

She began to speak again, stumbling over her words, struggling to find the right ones.

She finally blurted out "Im so sorry Naruto-kun I never meant to hurt you like this, it's just that...I was being selfish. I've only been acting this way is because...my time is nearly up. Within a year your training will be complete and when that happens Kami-sama will come to take me back to heaven. But I've grown really fond of you Naruto-kun and just thinking about going back hurt, so I tried to distance myself from you. I didn't want to feel anything for you because I knew I would have to leave you behind."

Chō stared solely at her reflection in the water as she explained this, refusing to turn her head even an inch towards Naruto. Not until she heard those words. Until she was forgiven she could not meet his eye.

As she spoke again her vision began to blur from the tears welling up in her eyes and her voiced trembled.

"I was so selfish Naruto-kun and I'm so sorry... do you think you can forgive me?"

Naruto didn't move, letting everything Chō said sink in. Now that he knew why, no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't stay mad, it just wasn't who he was.

Slowly Naruto composed himself, he reached over and gently turned her face to meet his. The tears in her eyes spilled out and he wiped them away. As they locked eyes Chō could see a spark in him, something reminiscent of the way he used to look at her.

And then his face got closer inch by inch and she closed her eyes.

* * *

Chō opened her eyes to see the familiar surroundings of Naruto's apartment, she was still on the couch with Naruto, who was also just now opening his eyes. Evidently their bodies on the outside had been crying too. Chō shuffled across the couch towards Naruto and crushed him in a hug which he returned.

Thus the bone of their relationship was set back into place and put in a cast to heal.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

**Another year passes.**

* * *

They say that when you break a bone it grows back stronger than it was before.

A year had passed since Naruto and Chō's reconciliation and they had spent much of that time together, whether they were training, out on the town, or just sitting at home, it didn't matter. They enjoyed every minute of it. Even with the knowledge that Chō would be leaving soon, Naruto was happy. Happier than he'd ever been.

Chō had even given Naruto some advice which led to him and Sasuke reforging their bond as well. Naruto had tracked the Uchiha down and apologized for the fight, Sasuke also apologized and after a lot of prying and persistence from Naruto, Sasuke opened up and told him everything.

Naruto still couldn't believe that a man could murder not only his family but the rest of his clan as well. Sasuke swore vengeance upon his brother and Naruto promised that no matter what happened he would be there to help take itachi down.

Since then Naruto and Sasuke had been put on team 7 together and they trained often, making much progress. For Naruto, he made sure to practice everything that Chō taught him over the years, and at this point he was fully trained.

Naruto had full mastery over the four elements and Chō had also taught him how to combine them into compounds. With this knowledge Naruto could make so many different chemicals and compounds for so many different uses.

The first thing he learned to make was water, a simple combination of hydrogen and oxygen. He had asked Chō to teach him more combinations and more compounds but she refused.

Her exact words were "You have to learn through experimentation and observation, in doing so you will become more powerful."

Although he finally finished his training, the feeling was bittersweet. Yes, he was powerful and would only get stronger, but he was going to lose someone he cared for.

It was this feeling that brought him to where he is right now. Naruto was simply sitting on his couch with Chō curled up beside him, they were just talking, enjoying each other's company.

"I honestly don't think you should be allowed to touch the stove." Naruto bantered.

"That's so mean!" Chō exclaimed giggling.

"You could use your food as a weapon if you wanted to!" Naruto continued.

Chō burst out laughing and Naruto followed suit. Their joy travled throughout the apartment and even into the streets below, but as the humor of the joke faded they went silent.

It got like this sometimes, where the joy of each other's company peeled away for a split second and revealed the future. They both knew it would happen, so they just laughed together as much as they could.

Chō spoke up "It'll be tommorow you know. I'll have to go."

Naruto frowned. "Tommorow? Are you sure?"

"Yeah... I thought about not telling you, but it just felt so wrong. I didn't want to keep something from you again and I knew that if I just disappeared I would never stop thinking about how sad I made you." Chō admitted.

"I'm glad you told me... At least you didn't just say you were gonna get some milk."

Chō giggled and snuggled closer to Naruto. He always knew how to lighten the mood.

It was a rather cold night so they enjoyed the shared warmth of their bodies. Naruto always radiated heat like a furnace so Chō was very comfortable at the moment, but she wanted her last night here to be more special.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think... we can look at the stars together, one last time?"

"Of course Chō-chan."

Chō smiled brightly and jumped off the couch ready to go. Naruto smiled at her enthusiasm and went to get some extra layers, since they would be out in the cold of the night.

* * *

Naruto and Chō were sat atop the hokage monument, propping themselves up on their airms and looking to the night sky.

"There are a lot of stars out tonight." Naruto noted.

"Yeah you can even see some constellations!" The excitement she felt was audible and Naruto chuckled a bit.

"What?" Chō asked

"It's just, you really like stars don't you? I guess it's fitting with a name like Chōshinsei."

Chō giggled and mimicked an explosion with her hands and even added a sound effect too.

Naruto laughed and they gazed at each other for a moment.

"I wish I could stay" Chō said.

"Me too"

Suddenly Naruto could see something in his peripheral vision, but when he turned to look it was gone. As he scanned the sky for what he'd just seen a streak of light shot across and then out of sight.

Another streak, and then another and another. Chō had also taken notice of this and both their eyes lit up.

"Shooting stars!" Naruto called out.

"A meteor shower!" Chō had called out simultaneously.

She looked at Naruto strangely for a moment but decided to not question it and just enjoy the beautiful scene.

"How many do you think we'll see?" Naruto asked.

"10! No 20! Maybe 30!" Chō exclaimed. She then began to ramble on about asteroids and whatnot. Naruto couldn't catch half of it because she was talking so fast.

He just looked at her and smiled.

* * *

The day was warm and the sun was shining without a single cloud in the sky. For any regular person it was a lovely day, but for Chō and Naruto it was sad and nerve racking. They sat in the apartment waiting for the inevitable. Chō had told Naruto that if he wanted to see her off then he absolutely could not, under any circumstances, look at Kami. Just a glance was enough to destroy someone's mind, of course Kami could just repair the damage but no one likes extra work.

There was a strange silence that began to settle into the room, no birds could be heard outside, no wind blowing, nothing.

In an instant the air became heavy and they both knew what happened.

A figure suddenly appeared before them, basking the whole room in beautiful shimmering light. It's appearance was something Naruto's brain couldn't even begin to comprehend so he made sure to keep his head down.

"It's time" The figure spoke.

Chō turned to Naruto, her lips quivering ever so slightly. "I have to go now Naruto-kun, ok?" Her voice was trembling and she asked the question as if it was to herself as much as Naruto.

Naruto wasn't fairing much better at all. He was one push away from being a crying blubbering mess but he wanted to be strong for Chō. He nodded not trusting his voice. He understood, if she was needed back with Kami, he understood.

"I'm gonna miss you" Naruto croaked out in a scratchy voice.

Chō felt as though her heart was being wretched out and smashed into the ground.

4 words.

With 4 words Naruto had put a crack in her resolve.

Could she really go back? After everything?

'No! I have to!' She thought 'Kami-sama demands it!'

She sniffled, holding everything back and she turned to Kami to be taken back into the heavens.

"wait!" Naruto suddenly blurted out.

Chō turned around and watched as Naruto slowly walked up and wrapped his arms around her. He squeezed her so tight it hurt, but she didn't care. As she hugged him back the tears rolled down her cheeks, a lump caught in her throat and her chest was in agony. She still had to go, she knew it, but her resolve was now a dam held together by duct tape and hot glue. It hurt so bad.

"It's time" The figure gently repeated.

Chō pulled herself together. She slid her hand down Naruto's arm to hold his hand. She gave him the saddest smile he'd ever seen and then turned to leave without a word.

She got two steps before being jerked back. Another tear rolled down her cheek.

"You have to let me go Naruto-kun" She said this without looking back because she knew looking at his face would break her.

Naruto sniffled and said "That's not me"

Chō looked back to see that she had Naruto's wrist in a death grip. She looked down as her hair shadowed her eyes. The dam collapsed, she couldn't bring herself to leave.

She just couldn't.

"It Is Time." The words were spoken calmly but with so much authority that even Naruto was about to obey.

"No" Chō responded, barely above a whisper.

"There is no place for you in my domain if you stay. You understand this."

"I don't want to go with you... I want to be here with him." Chō said sternly.

There was a short pause and then the figure spoke once again.

"_If_ you were to stay, I will aid you no longer. You will face everything on your own. Come back with me."

"I don't care... I'm staying." Chō said.

"You would defy me?" The figure asked calmly.

As these words were spoken the light bathing the room grew ever brighter and the very air around them began to vibrate, the pressure from this Godly presence began to crush them, nearly bringing them both to their knees.

Chō's heart was about to explode and her very soul felt as if it was being tugged on, commanding her to return to the heavens. She could no longer speak due to the intensity of the situation but even so she held her ground.

She met the gaze of her beloved Kami-sama and nodded slowly.

'Yes Kami-sama, If it means staying here with Naruto-kun I would defy you again and again' Chō thought.

Although Naruto couldn't see, the figures face, ever majestic and incomprehensible to the human mind, softened into a small smile.

"Very well then, keep your mortality. Do not blame me for the consequences."

The figure vanished and the air immediately got twenty times lighter. Chō collapsed holding her chest and Naruto followed suit. They held each other tightly, trying to recover from the shock of it all.

Naruto looked at Chō incredulously, with awe and admiration. She just stood up to GOD! For him! Naruto began to chuckle softly.

Chō looked at him questioningly.

"You know.." Naruto started, his voice still shaky.

"Jiji used to tell me, _if you love something, let it go, and if it was truly yours it will come back to you. _I only just now figured out what he meant."

Chō let the words tumble around in her head and then she realized what he was implying, even if he didn't. Her cheeks flushed a rosey pink and she couldn't look at him but on the inside her heart was soaring. She felt so happy it was indescribable.

"I don't know about you but I could really go for some ichiraku ramen right now! So how about it?" Naruto said in his usual oblivious manner.

'Does he really not know what he just said? I know for a fact that he meant it though... well then, I guess I'll just have to help him realize it!'

She turned to Naruto with a fire in her eyes determined to show him what she felt. She grabbed his face with both hands, blushing furiously and she began to close the distance... then she froze.

She sat there, eyes locked with Naruto's and his face firmly placed in her hands, his lips inches from her own. She began to panic, her heart was beating faster than ever before.

'Just do it Chō come on!' She roared in her head. She got over her frozen panic and moved her head forward... _WAY too fast._

Chō and Naruto's foreheads collided and they both fell back in surprise and pain. Chō couldn't believe what she just did, she was so embarrassed she just wanted to hide in a hole somewhere.

'I should've gone back!' She whined while anime tears streamed down her face. She was brought out of her thoughts by Naruto's laughter. It was slow and soft at first but then he broke out into hysterics.

At the sound of his laughter Chō laughed as well, laughing at herself, but better yet laughing with Naruto. Naruto was holding his sides and Chō wiped a tear from her eye.

'Maybe some other time' Chō thought.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed.**


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